The jet ski operator accused of causing the death of seven-year-old Angelica Jogie at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park on April 8 has been denied bail.
Ashworth Burnett, aka Whistle, of Canaan, appeared before Master Shah charged with manslaughter at the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday. He was not called upon to plead and was remanded into custody. He is expected to reappear in court on October 20 for a status hearing.
The 33-year-old was re-arrested at his home on Monday, after Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard advised that a manslaughter charge be laid. The jet ski operator involved in the incident allegedly fled the scene of the fatal accident and was held hours later at his home. However, he was released pending further inquiries.
Police claim Burnett breached the bathing-only zone at the popular beach before crashing into Jogie and other relatives. The former San Fernando TML student was pronounced dead at the Scarborough General Hospital
In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Angelica’s father, Arnold Jogie, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing bail was denied.
“You do the crime, pay the time,” he said.
Jogie, an air-conditioning technician, said the entire country has been aggrieved by his daughter’s death.
“You ain’t do this to me alone. You do this to plenty people. Everybody go like this news.”
Almost four months since the incident, Jogie said the family remains traumatised and is seeing a therapist.
He said the family has not visited any beach, pool or water park since Angelica’s untimely passing.
With school closed for the July-August vacation, Jogie said painful memories have been revived of their tragic trip to Tobago in Easter.
“It still like yesterday. Once it pop up (on news) or you sit down by yourself or whatever, it still hard on yuh. Yuh go home in the evening, she not there — and you know now is holiday time,” he said.
Had the incident not occurred, Jogie speculated that the Barrackpore family would have been vacationing again in Tobago once more.
“We might have been back in Tobago again. We might have been there again, but I eh think we going through that again.”
The Jogies have initiated legal action against the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Pigeon Point Heritage Park and Burnett over the incident. In a pre-action protocol letter issued on July 15, attorneys from Freedom Law Chambers claim Angelica’s death was preventable and a result of negligence and breach of duty by the defendants.
The parties were given 28 days to respond on whether they accepted liability for her death.
